This proposal will contribute to our achieving the long-term goals of providing and maintaining consistently high quality, healthy animals for UAB research and teaching programs, assuring care of animals consistent with the standards of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and providing a safe and healthy workplace for personnel who use or care for animals. The equipment (ventilated cage systems, cage change stations, biosafety cabinets, histopathology grossing station, bedding disposal system, bottle filling station with water treatment capabilities, and hazardous agent dump station) for which support is being sought will be used in the first phase of a new, five level animal facility, the Research Support Building. The facility is designed to accommodate the ventilated racks and change stations that are becoming standard for modern rodent facility. It also includes suites that meet the requirements for Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL3) studies. Initial users of the facility will include over 20 investigators and over $80M of active and pending federal funding involving animal studies. This facility will eventually house 50% of the mouse populations on campus. It sets the high standards we are seeking to achieve throughout the program as we upgrade existing facilities through renovation and purchase of new caging and support equipment.